Will Hodgman

Premier of Tasmania

Will Hodgman

Premier of Tasmania

6 December 2017

Jeremy Rockliff,
Minister for Education and Training

Tasmanian Year 4 Literacy on the rise

Results from the 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) show that the literacy achievement of Tasmanian Year 4 students has significantly improved.

Last year 78 per cent of Tasmanian students performed at or above the intermediate benchmark – this represents a six per cent increase from the previous round of testing in 2011, when Labor and the Greens were in government.

Further to this, 16 per cent of Tasmanian Year 4 students have achieved the advanced benchmark – an increase of 11 per cent.

These results are consistent with Tasmania’s NAPLAN results, showing an improvement over the long term in literacy in the primary years.

The Hodgman Liberal Government has a long term goal to lead the nation in education and these results confirm we are on the right track.

Initiatives to boost literacy levels are working. This includes Learning in Families Together (LIFT), the Middle Years Literacy Project (focusing on teaching practices in Years 4-8), extra Literacy and Numeracy Specialists and Coaches across the state, and encouraging ongoing professional learning for teachers through the Department’s Professional Learning Institute.

We will continue to invest in students in the early, primary and high school years to create a job ready generation of young Tasmanians. This includes extending all Tasmanian high schools to Years 11-12 by 2022 – a policy which Labor opposes.